1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tobacco smoking devices, pipes and packages of tobacco for utilization in a pipe or hookah. More specifically, the present invention relates to a prepackaged volume of a smokable product such as shisha or hookah tobacco, wherein the elements of the package provide improved freshness, better handling of the product prior to being smoked and a means to control the density of product within the capsule prior to its use. The present invention further relates to a means of loosening the contents prior to its use and while burning, wherein the contents can be separated and disturbed for improved airflow and even burning therethroughout. The following disclosure includes the elements of the prepackaged capsule, along with a means to retain the capsule on a hookah bowl while smoking its contents. For simplicity and uniformity, the following disclosure will be discussed as providing a prepackaged capsule of shisha, or flavored tobacco for use in a hookah bowl apparatus. It is desired, however, to disclose a smokable material capsule for use in any smoking apparatus, wherein the material within the capsule may take the form of any smokable product and the capsule may employ several embodiments with regard to its shape and form.
Hookah smoking is a popular method of smoking tobacco, wherein smoke is drawn through a water pipe apparatus. Shisha, which is generally a molasses flavored tobacco, is placed on an inlet of the hookah pipe and in contact with burning coals to ignite the shisha, initiating burn the production of smoke for user intake. The shisha is packed into a bowl positioned at the hookah inlet and allowed to slowly burn as air is drawn therethrough, directing smoke towards an inhaling user. The smoke from the shisha travels through the hookah bowl supporting the shisha, and into a volume of water, wherein it is cooled prior to be drawn through a hose or tube and into the user's mouth. The temperature of the smoke is reduced and contaminates are further captured as it passes through the water within the bowl. The user can then enjoy the flavor of the shisha before exhaling the smoke and returning for a subsequent draw.
Hookah smoking devices have familiar design elements and structural features that are well described in the art. The devices themselves have been used for centuries for the purposes of slowly burning a quantity of shisha. The elements that comprise a standard hookah include a bowl structure that supports a quantity of shisha and charcoal used for shisha combustion, a hookah body that allows smoke to be directed through a body of water contained within an attached water jar, wherethrough finally the smoke is drawn into a hose or tube from the water jar and towards an inhaling user. A valve attached to the device allows stagnated smoke to be cleared from the hookah body and water jar, removing stale smoke that has been inside the hookah for an extended time between smoking periods. The present invention is related to the bowl of the hookah, and more particularly to the packing of shisha thereinto prior to its ignition and subsequent inhalation. More specifically, the present invention provides a prepackaged quantity of shisha that allows for packing a hookah bowl and controlling the density of the shisha therewithin prior to and during its use without requiring the user to physically contact the shisha itself while preparing the bowl, which is otherwise a messy process that can stain a user's hands and clothing if not handled properly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Current methods of loading a hookah bowl with a quantity of smokable material are inefficient, cumbersome and dirty. Typically, the material is placed into the bowl using either the user's fingers or a set of tongs, wherein the quantity and compaction thereof is determined by the user. The user is required to physically transfer the shisha from its originating container to the bowl, which can lead to inconsistencies in its compaction and forces the user to either physically handle the shisha or use a tool to do so. Once the shisha has been transferred, the bowl is generally covered by a foil layer, which is cut and sized for the particular bowl prior to be secured around its rim. After the foil is secured and formed over the bowl rim in an air tight configuration, so as not to let any unwanted air escape or be drawn through the sides of the bowl inlet, the foil is perforated using a knife or similar piercing tool. Burning coals are then placed over the foil, wherein heat transfer through the foil and foil perforations begins to ignite the shisha as air is drawn through the perforations, which is drawn by the user puffing the terminal end of the hookah hose. Particular skill or experience is required by the user for these operations, which are time consuming, messy and largely inconsistent. To place a uniform quantity and density of shisha into the bowl, an improved and more convenient method or device is needed. The present invention is disclosed for providing such a device, wherein many of the aforementioned steps are bypassed and direct application of coals onto a prepackaged capsule of shisha is possible. The disclosed device provides superior convenience and utility over the traditional methods of preparing a hookah bowl.
The present invention discloses a sealed package of shisha or similar smokable material, contained within a shaped capsule having an upper inlet and a lower outlet. The upper inlet comprises a perforated screen covering that allows coals to be placed thereon and air to be drawn therethrough, while the lower outlet is a perforated base that allows airflow through the capsule and its internal contents and into the hookah body. The capsule is provided for the user in a sealed configuration, wherein the inlet and outlet are hermetically sealed using a removable seal that protects the capsule contents prior to their use and over a prolonged period. A tab is provided on the seal, which the user utilizes to peel the seal from the capsule upper and lower inlet prior to placement in a bowl and smoking. The capsule can be placed directly into a bowl without requiring the user to manually pack it, cover it with a layer of foil and perforate the foil prior to placement of burning coals thereon. Considerable time and effort is removed utilizing the present invention, allowing the user to more rapidly access and enjoy the shisha over traditional methods and techniques. Further disclosed within the present invention shisha capsule is an internal agitator means, comprising an object within the capsule utilized to agitate, de-clump or otherwise disturb or separate the shisha within the capsule prior to its use, and as it burns and looses volume. By providing an agitator means, the user is allowed to evenly distribute the shisha within the capsule upon shaking the capsule before use, which ensures uniformity within the capsule for even burning and improved airflow therethrough. Blockages and clumping are prevented, along with non-uniformities with regard to its compaction. The agitator means is utilized by the user shaking the capsule prior to its placement in the hookah bowl. In this way, the density of the shisha within the closed capsule is controllable by the user to ensure even burning and provide uniform passage of air therethrough.
Several devices have been disclosed and patented in the prior art related to prepackaged quantities or containers of tobacco. Some of these devices are directly related to hookah smoking, while others are related generally to the field of smoking pipes. While these devices are well suited for their particular requirements and fulfill a goal or need in the art, they fail to disclose a prepackaged capsule of shisha having the disclosed elements of the present invention, and further fail to provide a similarly convenient and useful means of packing a hookah bowl without physically handling or manipulating the shisha prior to its smoking. The prior art devices lack the ability to disturb or ensure uniformity of the shisha within a capsule prior to its use and as it burns, which is provided herein by the present agitator means. Access to the burning shisha within the currently available shisha packages is therefore limited or nonexistent, wherein any clumping or separation of flavoring from the tobacco cannot be controlled without opening the capsule. Opening the capsule would compromise its structure and thus would defeat the prepackaged capsule purpose. A clear need exists in the art for a means to control the shisha density and compaction within the sealed capsule, as no currently disclosed tobacco pouches provide such a feature. The present disclosure fulfills a long felt need in the art related to prepackaged tobacco and shisha containers by providing this element, advancing the art of such devices and providing a novel device for hookah and pipe smoking users.
The prior art devices have familiar design and structural elements for the purposes of storing a pre-measured amount of tobacco; however they are not adapted for the task of ensuring freshness of the encapsulated smokable material and for providing a means to control the contents therewithin. They similarly fail to disclose the unique structural elements of the disclosed shisha capsule.
Specifically, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0215164 to Mehio discloses a disposable hookah bowl having a moisture seal for protecting an inner compartment of tobacco. The bowl comprises an upper heat inlet and a lower, particulate screening outlet that allows heated air to flow through the bowl and draw smoke therethrough. Particulates are trapped by the lower screen, while the seal protects the tobacco quality prior to its use. The bowl further comprises an interior combustible product, such as massell. While suited for providing a complete bowl and tobacco chamber that is removable and replaceable, the elements of the Mehio disclosure fail to describe the structure and intent of the present invention, wherein a prepackaged, sealed and preferably pre-perforated tobacco capsule is disclosed for using in any existing bowl structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,792,704 to Parker is another such device wherein a tobacco pipe smoking system is disclosed. The system comprises a tobacco capsule and a tobacco pipe that are mutually designed to conform and operate together. The pipe includes a bowl and stem, while the capsule comprises a charge of particulate smoking tobacco within a sheath of imperforate incombustible sheet material, wherein smoke is communicated through a passageway along the bottom thereof. While the Parker device provides a unique packaging for pipe smoking, it is limited to a pipe that is specifically designed to accommodate the capsule of tobacco. The capsule is not adapted for use with a hookah, for the same purposes or engendering the same spirit as the present invention.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,449 to Pecor describes a pipe smoker's package including a container and a charge of tobacco of size and shape to fit within the bowl recess of a standard pipe bowl. The package has a generally cylindrical shape, a flat sheet of metal foil on its upper surface and perforations about its domed lower surface. As with the Parker device, the Pecor device is suited for use with deep pocket bowls of a standard, handheld pipe. Its use is limited to such structures, and teaches away from use with a hookah.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,317 to Thal discloses a tobacco portion enclosed within a metal foil cup, wherein the shape of the cup is adapted to conform to the inner cavity of a handheld pipe bowl. The cup includes a removable sealing means to preserve the flavor content and freshness of the tobacco if stored for extended periods of time. The Thal device shares the same drawbacks as the Pecor and Parker devices, wherein its use is limited to being utilized within a handheld pipe bowl. The elements of the Thal device include a perforated lower surface formed on a frusto-conical section thereof, joining with a largely cylindrical sidewall and an open top for accessing and lighting the tobacco contents. No mention is made of an agitator means therefor. Rather, the open top allows control of the tobacco compaction, but limits its use and teaches away from slower burning hookah shisha and its method of burning, wherein burning coals are placed above the shisha to burn and draw smoke therefrom.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0060663 to Hamade discloses a disposable hookah tobacco capsule. The capsule comprises an upper foil layer and a lower foil layer. These layers define an interior space for retaining a volume of tobacco. The rim of the capsule is disposed at the junction of the upper and lower layers and is bendable. The shape of the capsule rim is held flat by an annular ring prior to use of the capsule. When the capsule is placed within the head of a hookah pipe, the bendable foil rim is folded over the edges of the head. Holes may then be punched into the foil layers of the capsule to allow heat to permeate the tobacco and smoke to exit the capsule. Hamade does not disclose perforations of the foil layers nor does it disclose a removable seal for ensuring freshness. Hamade also fails to contemplate the inclusion of an agitator or similar object within the tobacco to allow user to disturb and loosen the burning tobacco for means of additional airflow therethrough and prevention of clumping. Further, the capsule of Hamade is distended from its rim area, which does not provide a flat region for placement of coals. This creates a hazard for a hookah smoker, wherein the coals can easily fall from the capsule while smoking, which is disrupting and potentially dangerous. The elements of the present invention make it a better suited application for providing a fresh, rich smoking experience that eliminates clumping of the inner capsule contents and one with a flat upper region for placement of burning coals during use.
Several U.S. Published Patent Applications to Saleh, Publication Nos. 2010/0126518, 2010/0252057, and finally 2011/0186060 are all related to a disclosure for a tobacco container adapted for a hookah, wherein the container provides a sealed capsule for the shisha prior to its use. The elements of the capsule are adapted to conform over the sidewalls of the hookah bowl, in a similar fashion as the Hamade device. The capsule comprises a flange that is adapted to be of larger radius than the upper rim of the bowl, allowing the flange to be folded thereover. The capsule can then be punctured to allow airflow and coals are placed thereonto. The Saleh devices fail to disclose a dedicated screen inlet or perforations thereon, along with perforations on the capsule lower surface. The present invention provides such a pre-perforated structure, wherein the upper surface is adapted to form a screen for supporting burning coals and allow airflow into the capsule while the lower perforations allow airflow and smoke from the capsule. The perforations are initially sealed by a sealing means to retain freshness. More specifically, the Saleh device, along with all of the aforementioned disclosed devices, fail to disclose an agitator means or shisha density control means within the capsule assembly for controlling the consistency of the shisha or tobacco prior to and while smoking. This feature is a critical component to controlling the burning properties of the shisha, and for allowing access to the shisha when a preformed package thereof would otherwise limit such access.
It is therefore submitted that the devices disclosed by the prior art do not address the need for maintaining a volume of tobacco that is fresh and evenly packed within a disposable and sealed pouch or capsule. The present invention relates to a device for providing a pre-measured amount of packaged, fresh tobacco to smoke using a hookah device. The structure and construction of the device, along with its internal agitator element, substantially diverge in structural and conceptual elements from the prior art; consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to the existing hookah tobacco capsules and smoking systems. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.